fraud
Godfrey Thabo Makhubedu
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has asked that criminal charges be laid against staff members of Technikon South Africa accused of corruption and fraud. This follows a series of internal disciplinary hearings against senior staff.
In one of the worst instances, Herman Putter, employed at the centre for courseware design and development, was accused of selling the technikon a book, Flexible Learning, written by someone else, with his own name on the cover as the author.
Nehawu branch chair Chris Serumula says Putter was found guilty before a disciplinary hearing, but management never took the matter to court.
Technikon representative Louise Stimie says Putter was dismissed in May. He appealed against the decision, however, and another internal hearing has been scheduled.
Nehawu also claims the technikon’s provisioning manager, Andrew Hough, was a director in a computer company awarded a R7-million training contract by the technikon. Hough was one of three directors at a computer company called Werludu, which was registered in May 1995, one month after he left his position as the technikon’s training manager. A year later, he took up the position of provisioning manager.
Stimie says the awarding of contracts to companies is done by a representative panel. Werludu has been contracted to provide computer training for this year only and the technikon will invite new tenders for next year, she says.
The technikon’s former vice-principal Emil Kilpert resigned in May. He was suspended in October 1995 after investigations by internal auditors.
Kilpert appeared before two disciplinary hearings on charges of sexual harassment and financial mismanagement. He was found guilty and was dismissed.
He appealed to the high court, which ordered the technikon to give him a second opportunity to advance arguments in mitigation of sentence.
The technikon agreed to accept Kilpert’s resignation, but is continuing with civil litigation against him to recover R3-million.